Runaway Train
by Dreamweaver37
Summary: Gabriel Novak escaped home with his baby brother Castiel, and a few dollars in his pocket. But nothing they face on the streets can compare to the hell they know is waiting at home. And meeting Dean Winchester and his little brother opens their world up to something they never thought they might find; hope. Teen-chesters, Teen-angels, Debriel


Gabriel Novak was eight years old the first time he ran away from home. He packed his Snoopy backpack with his favorite book, "101 Funny Jokes for Kids," his extra soft blue blanket he'd had since he was a baby, a jar of peanut butter, and 3 Hershey bars. He also took his baby brother.

The next door neighbor caught them less than an hour later. She laughed, thinking how funny it was, this little slip of a boy running away with his kid brother because his mommy and daddy wouldn't let him have some toy, or treat.

Of course, she couldn't have been more wrong.

He had run because his big brother Luce had come home once again, drunk and angry. Luce and Father fought, and when baby Cas got between them, Father spanked them both. Castiel for getting out of bed, and Gabriel for letting him.

A spank from Father was nothing to joke about. This time, he left welts all over little Cas' bottom, and the poor baby cried and cried. He was only 4, and the yelling had scared him. Gabriel had taken him to his bed, and cuddled him close, whispering that he would keep Cassy safe.

It felt like a lie.

And it was a lie.

Gabriel couldn't keep himself safe from his abusive father, let alone his baby brother. Their mother had left them shortly after Castiel's birth, and without her protection, life quickly descended into a living hell. Their oldest brother Michael left for college as soon as he could, a look of regret on his face as he looked back one last time at his tiny, helpless brothers. The next brother in line, Raphael, died in a car accident a few years later.

That left Luce.

Luce was the brother that Gabriel had always feared the most. He was wildly unstable, and swung from being funny, silly, wonderful Luce, to angry, violent, screaming Luce without warning. And as he got older, he drank more and more, and the mood swings became even more frequent, and more abusive.

Their father was a foreman in a large energy plant, and Gabriel was told he was a brilliant man. But he was cold; distant and aloof. He would work long hours, and when he was home, he liked his children where he didn't have to see them. Small people who forgot that rule quickly learned what a mistake it was to bother Father.

So Gabriel did the best he could. He made sure Castiel ate, and tried to keep himself between the bigger people in the household and the little brother he loved more than his life.

But when he was 15, everything became exponentially worse.

He got out of school an hour later than Castiel did, and that hour and fifteen minutes was the longest part of his day. First he would sit in school and hope Cas was alright, then he would run home, terrified of what he might find.

Gabriel came home one day to find Luce pounding on Castiel's door, and screaming his name. His heart clenched, and he ran to his brother's side, praying as he went to a God he really didn't believe in.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY, AND YOU WILL DO IT NOW!"

"Luce! What the hell is going on?" Gabriel asked, pulling on his brother's arm.

Luce backhanded his little brother, and Gabriel hit the floor with a cry of pain. That seemed to snap Luce out of whatever rage he was trapped in, and without a word, he stomped past Gabriel, and out of the house.

Gabriel scrambled to his feet, and knocked on Castiel's door quietly.

"Cassy, it's me buddy. Luce is gone. Open the door, okay?"

There was a pause, and Gabriel heard choked sobs as the lock turned, and the door swung open. Castiel stood there, in nothing but his underwear and a t-shirt, shivering and crying. Gabriel quickly pulled him close, feeling sick.

"Cas, what happened, buddy? Tell me," Gabriel urged.

Castiel gulped back his sobs, and once he was calm, he clung to the only safety he had ever known, and spoke so softly Gabriel had to strain to listen.

"When I got home, I wanted a snack. I was pouring grape juice and it spilled. Luce got mad, and told me to take my pants off so he could wash them. But…but when I did…he looked at me funny Gabriel. He…he told me to take my underwear off too and come closer. He said he was gonna show me how to be useful. But….but I didn't wanna. They said at school that grown -ups aren't allowed to touch us in bad ways. He was gonna though, I know he was…"

Cas dissolved in tears again, and Gabriel felt like vomiting. He had his own experience with Luce's "lessons" when he was Castiel's age. But Raphael was still alive then, and he caught Luce, luckily for Gabriel, the first time he attempted it. Raphael threatened to kill him or have him arrested if he ever touched Gabriel again. That put an end to the horror, and Gabriel had hoped that Luce would never see Castiel with the same evil.

_I should have known better. _

"Okay, Castiel. I need you to listen to me."

Big, tear- wet eyes met his, and Castiel looked at his big brother, trust in his eyes.

"I'm gonna protect us, buddy, but it's gonna be hard. Can you be brave?"

Castiel nodded, and gulped a little.

"Okay kiddo. It's just you and me, but I'll protect you." He repeated his promise, hoping it would somehow make the words true. Gabriel hugged his little brother close for a moment.

"I promise."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Come on, Sammy!" Dean looked back, his green eyes sparkling with mischief, and grabbed his younger brother's hand as they ran like the devil himself was after them.

As it turned out, it wasn't quite the devil. Just an irate hotdog stand owner who had just been 'relieved' of six of his finest dogs, New York style.

Dean held the box they were housed in tightly to his chest, and soon the two boys were down the subway tunnel, gasping for air and wiping away tears of laughter.

"And that, Sammy boy, is why you don't get fat," Dean grinned.

Sam just grinned in return, and grabbed the hotdog his older brother offered him. They were walking down the stairwell toward the lowest level of the subway station and enjoying their dogs, when Sam paused, and grabbed his big brother.

"What, kid?" Dean asked.

Sam made a face at 'kid.' But he still directed his brother's eyes to the small, dark, side tunnel where two figures were huddled. This far down the subway, it was fairly common to find homeless people hiding from the rain and the cold. At least until the transit cops chased them off.

Dean looked now, and listened. It was silent here, at least between trains. There were no stops here, and people weren't allowed down here unless they worked for the city. The two huddling there were small though, and after a moment, Dean heard quiet crying.

"I'm sorry, Cas. I'm so sorry. I'll find you something to eat, I promise. We just gotta wait till it's dark. If they find us, they'll send us back," a soft, sad voice spoke, and Dean frowned.

Sam pulled on Dean's sleeve then, and Dean looked down at his brother. Sad, puppy eyes met him, and Dean sighed.

"Okay, Sammy. Like I'd just leave 'em there."

Sam smiled at his big brother, and they headed down the small hallway.

Once they stood in front of the two huddled forms, Dean's frown deepened. One of the kids was really little, like Sammy's age, maybe even younger. The other kid was older, but still early teens. They didn't even notice Dean and Sam, they were so deep in their own misery. Dean cleared his throat, and the older boy's head shot up, and golden amber eyes met Dean's. The kid jumped to his feet to put himself between Dean and the smaller boy he was protecting. Dean gave a mental nod of approval at that and spoke.

"Calm down, dude. We're not gonna hurt you two. You runaways?" he asked.

As the older boy shook his head no, the smaller one nodded yes, and Dean grinned a little.

"It's cool. Sammy boy and I are on our own too. You two got names?"

The older boy finally spoke, and suspicion laced his voice.

"We don't have any money, and I'll kill you before I let you hurt him. So just move along and leave us alone. We don't have anything you can use."

Dean rolled his eyes now, and shook his head.

"Ah. Newbies. Chill the fuck out, kid. I'm Dean, and this is Sam. We aren't gonna hurt you. You will meet some real sicko's out here, so it's smart to be careful, but you're gonna have to trust me on this. Sam and I are cool," Dean promised.

"Are you hungry?" Sam held out the remaining three hotdogs, and the smaller boy looked at them with hunger in his eyes.

"Why would you help us?" the amber eyed boy asked.

"Cause smart people stick together out here. You watch each other's backs. Now take the damned dogs, kid, before you two pass out and we have to drag your asses to our squat," Dean told him.

The older boy looked reluctant. The little one behind him tugged on his jeans, and he turned, looking down.

"Please, Gabriel? I...I'm hungry. My tummy hurts," he whispered.

"Dammit. Okay, Cassy."

Sam handed a hotdog to each boy then, and he and Dean watched, a little impressed as the smaller one wolfed his down in a matter of a minute or two. Gabriel still had half of his left when Cas was done, and he handed it to the still hungry boy.

"But, that's yours, Gabby. You're hungry too," the small boy protested.

"I'll live, kiddo. Eat it," Gabriel instructed.

"Hey, dude. Look, we have another one, so your brother is all good. Okay?" Dean handed off the last hotdog to Gabriel, and the older boy shot him a reluctant look of gratitude.

"How did you know Gabby is my brother?" Cas asked.

"Cause, kid. Sammy is my baby brother. I know all about big brothers and little brothers." Dean smiled.

Castiel just nodded at that, and continued to wolf down his food.

Gabriel sighed now, and slumped a little, exhaustion on every feature.

"I'm Gabriel. This is Castiel. T…Thank you for helping us," he said quietly.

Dean shrugged, and clapped his back.

"That's what Sammy and I do. We've been down here the longest. Other kids have come and gone, and we try to make sure they stay alive till they go running back home to mommy and daddy, or the cops pick them up."

"We can't go back. We can't ever go back. Luce wanted to do bad things to me." Castiel whispered, voice trembling.

Dean glanced at Gabriel, who looked a little sick now.

"Damn. So you really are on the run." He sighed and looked at Sam, who gave him a nod. "Okay man, get the kid and come on. You two have some learning to do."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Gabriel woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar place. It was dark, and there were quiet voices coming from somewhere nearby. He almost panicked, but then he heard his baby brother give a sleepy sigh, and Castiel snuggled closer to him. The night before came back with a rush.

_Dean and Sam. Right. God, please don't let this be a mistake. _

Gabriel had taken his little brother and followed the Winchester boys to a stairway next to the subway track. Once they went down it, Dean led them to what looked like a solid wall. But when they got close enough, Dean and Sam both started pulling away bricks, and very soon a hole appeared that the two boys climbed through. Gabriel hesitated, but when he glanced at his little brother, he saw exhaustion on his small, thin face, and he knew he had no choice.

They followed Dean and Sam.

Once the hole was recovered by a pile of bricks that were ingeniously waiting on the other side, they took off down a surprisingly large, and improbably paved walkway, down a corridor built of more of the old bricks, till they got to an old steel door. Dean winked over his shoulder, and pushed it open.

Gabriel and Castiel's mouths had both dropped open when they saw what was inside.

A furnished room greeted them. There were two couches, both old, and worn, but clean. Soft chairs were scattered about, and bean bags. The floor was covered by a threadbare rug, and Dean was lighting some hurricane lamps while Sam shut off his flashlight. Once the room was fully illuminated, Gabriel noticed two more doors along one wall, as well as a table and chairs in the corner of the room next to a large book case filled with books and knickknacks.

"How did you get this all down here?" Gabriel asked, astounded.

"We didn't. Our dad did. He used to work for the City repairing subway trains. He knew these stations like the back of his hand. This is the old terminal from the 1900's. The new one was just built on top. When he worked for the city he found this place and brought stuff down here bit by bit so he had a hidey hole to get away from his boss. No one even knows these can be accessed anymore," Dean told him, pride in his voice. "He liked to bring us here to play while he worked after our mom died."

"Our Mom left us. She didn't love us," Castiel told Dean earnestly.

Gabriel flinched at that, and quickly changed the subject.

"So where's your Dad now?" he asked.

Sam's eyes brimmed at the question, and Dean's face fell.

"He died two years ago. CPS wanted to split Sam and me up, so we ditched and set up shop here," he said quietly.

"Oh…that sucks. Your dad sounds really cool," Gabriel told him.

Dean's grin returned a little.

"Yeah, he was. And he taught us everything he knew. He never trusted the cops or child welfare. After we teach you what we know, you never have to worry about getting nabbed again," Dean promised.

Castiel had yawned and started to whimper a little then and in short order Dean had shown them to a room behind one of the other doors with a large air mattress with stacks of blankets on it. The Novak brothers actually had a peaceful night's sleep for the first time in over a month.

But now morning was here, and Gabriel realized all over again that he didn't know a thing about Dean and Sam Winchester. He considered taking Castiel and leaving, except the question pounded in his head; how do I take care of him?

When Gabriel had taken his little brother, climbed on a bus with tickets bought with his meager savings and run to New York City, he had foolishly thought he was smart enough to keep them alive and well.

He was wrong.

The money ran out fast, and soon Gabriel was hiding the two of them wherever he could, and digging through dumpsters for their tiny meals. Castiel had already gotten sick from that life once, and it had scared Gabriel enough to consider going home. But the thought of what Luce would do stopped him. He had to protect his little brother.

A tap on the door interrupted his thoughts, and Sam's grinning face poked in.

"Hey guys…you want some chow? Then Dean and I can show you around."

Gabriel gave the smaller boy a weak smile, and nodded. He shook Castiel awake gently, and the blue eyed boy yawned and sat up slowly.

"I havta go to the bathroom, Gabe," he whispered.

"Okay, kiddo. We'll figure something out," Gabe assured him.

They scrambled back into their clothes then, and stepped into the main room. Dean had box of doughnuts and cartons of milk on the table, and Sam was peering into the box, delight on his face.

"Sweet! Long Johns!" he said.

"Only the best for us, Sammy," Dean replied. He looked up and caught sight of Gabriel and Castiel, and smiled a little. "Mornin' guys. You gotta use the can?"

Castiel nodded his head vehemently, and Dean chuckled a little.

"Follow me."

They headed back into the passageway from the night before, and a little further down the hall was a set of doors; one with a female symbol on it, and one with a male.

"First thing my Dad did was re-start the water down here. There's so much used in the subway above us the city doesn't even notice. This is where we go to the bathroom and get washed up and stuff," Dean explained.

The bathroom was a typical stall style restroom, with three stalls and three sinks. Like the rest of Dean and Sam's underground hideaway, it was surprisingly clean and orderly.

Castiel ran right to a stall the minute Dean left them alone, and Gabriel went and splashed water on his face. He stared in the mirror that hung above the sink for a moment, and sighed. His hair was dirty, and he looked tired, and there was sadness in his eyes.

Castiel came out of the stall then, and came to stand next to his brother. Gabriel smiled down at him.

"Wash your hands, kiddo. I'm gonna hit the head."

"Alright. Are you okay, Gabriel?"

Gabe wrapped an arm around his little brother, and pressed his dark, curly head to his chest.

"Yeah, Cassy. I'm fine. Get washed up, okay?"

Castiel nodded, and soon the two of them stepped out of the bathroom to find Dean waiting.

"We have a metal tub and a tube you can hook up to the sink for a shower if you want to later," Dean offered.

"That'd be great, thanks." Gabriel agreed.

Dean gave a nod and led them back to their small living area. Sam was sitting and munching a doughnut. He held out the box to Castiel and the blue eyed boy looked up at Gabriel hopefully.

"Go ahead kiddo. What do you say?" Gabriel asked.

"Thank you, Sam," Castiel piped up obediently.

"You're welcome! Hey, do you have any comic books?" Sam asked.

"No…my dad said they were a waste of time," Castiel answered.

Sam looked horrified, and jumped to his feet. He retrieved a box from the bottom shelf of the book case, and soon both boys were flipping through Sam's extensive collection, eating doughnuts, and chatting.

Dean watched with a small smile, and held out a second box of doughnuts to Gabriel.

"Sam doesn't really have anyone his own age to hang out with. How old is Cas?"

"He's 11. What about Sam?" Gabriel asked.

"He'll be 12 in two weeks." Dean rubbed the back of his neck now, and motioned to a couch. "So, have a seat, I can fill you in on how to make it up there."

Gabriel settled down on one end of the couch, and Dean on the other. Dean looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke.

"How did you two get here?" he asked.

Gabriel looked a little confused by the question, but gave a shrug and answered.

"I'd been saving money since I was 12. I knew someday I might have to get Cas outta there. I just packed up two duffels each and we walked to the bus station. I bought the tickets and we left."

"So…no one asked why two kids were getting on a bus all alone?" Dean asked.

"Well, yeah. I just told them we were going to visit our grandmother in New York. People bought it," Gabriel told him.

"And that right there? That's how you keep from getting picked up. You gotta act like you belong here, like this is home, and you know what you're doing. And you always have a good back story," Dean instructed him.

"But…how do you keep Sam fed? How do you get money?" Gabriel asked.

"That's the tricky part sometimes. Making money is the hardest. You gotta learn to run a good con. To tell you the truth…I could use some help on that one. Sammy is really too small to do much; he panics if shit starts to go south. As for food…well, last night Sammy distracted the hotdog vendor while I helped myself to a few. But you gotta be careful how often you do that, and where. You don't shit where you sleep, ya know? You don't wanna get caught. Sammy and I went to another neighborhood to pull that one off, then took the train home. That's when we found you two."

"What about the doughnuts?" Gabriel looked at the chocolate covered treat in his hand.

"Eh, that's simple. Neighborhood good will. I take out the trash every morning for the baker down the block. He doesn't like getting up early enough to do it. In return he gives me a couple of boxes of his day olds. He thinks I take them to school to hand out to my buddies," Dean told him.

"And your other meals?" Gabriel asked.

"Depends. If I have some cash, Sammy and I grab something cheap from the diner. If I have to, I go to the food bank and pick up a few bags of groceries from them. They put stuff out for anyone to take. You just gotta wait till after school hours so they don't ask any questions."

Gabriel sighed a little at that.

"So I guess you two can't go to school, huh?"

"Nope. But my Dad never did send us. He was a big believer in home schooling. He uh….he didn't really trust the government. He was a Kosovo vet, and it…it made him a little suspicious. He had all our schooling stuff bought and stored down here. I make Sammy study during school hours since we can't go out then anyhow," Dean said.

'Wow…your dad really planned ahead. I wish I had some way to get Castiel in school. He's really smart, and I know he misses it," Gabriel told him, watching his brother and Sam as he spoke.

"Uh…about that. Sammy and I had a chat last night. We have room here, and you two can't go home. It'd be easier to take care of Sammy if I had someone older to help me. If you two wanna stay here, you can. As long as you help out," Dean offered. "Cas can use Sammy's school stuff too."

Gabriel looked torn.

"I…I wanna trust you, I do. But Cas…"

Dean held up a hand.

"Hey, I have as much to risk as you do. Sammy is just a kid too, and I have to keep him safe. You know how to get out of here, and I won't try to stop you if you decide to leave," Dean promised. "You know where we hide now. You could hurt us a lot more than we could hurt you."

Gabriel thought for a minute, chewing his bottom lip. He startled a little when Castiel suddenly wrapped his skinny arms around his neck and hugged his big brother.

"I wanna stay here, Gabe. Sam has school books. And comics," Castiel told him.

Gabriel looked at his little brother and ruffled his hair. Castiel had gotten thinner, and his blue eyes looked too big in his head. He also needed a hair-cut and a bath. Gabriel nodded then, praying he wasn't doing something stupid.

"Okay, Dean. You got a deal. We'll stay."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Thanks Mr. DeLuca." Gabriel gave a wave as he headed down the street.

Dean was rounding the corner as Gabriel pocketed the money in his hand and hefted the bag he was carrying. He grinned at the sight of his friend, and the two high fived each other.

"How was your haul?" Dean asked.

"Twenty bucks and dinner for tonight. I cleaned his front walk and flirted with his daughter." Gabriel smirked a little as he answered.

Dean chortled, and patted his own pocket.

"I hit Central Park today. Made fifty bucks hunting up an old lady's Yorkie. Yappy little shit," Dean announced.

"Hunted it up _after _you let it off the leash?" Gabriel snickered.

One of Dean's favorite money making ventures was following a rich person with more money than sense, and letting their dog off the end of a lead while they sat on a bench posturing for the benefit of the other rich people watching. While they panicked over their missing pet, Dean would hurry to assure them that he would hunt the poor thing down. More often than not, he had stashed the dog somewhere, and after several minutes he would show up, the dog in hand, and collect the inevitably offered reward.

"Damn right. Man's gotta make an honest living." Dean replied with a smirk of his own.

"We picking up the 'donations' on our way home?" Gabe asked.

"Yup. Mrs. Collins has a bunch for us," Dean told him.

At first, Gabriel had struggled with the dishonesty required to keep his brother fed and clothed. But after six months in the city, following Dean and learning his tricks, the guilt had vanished. The truth was, there were a whole lot of people in the world with a lot more than they needed or deserved. And so often, those people looked at the poor and hungry all around the city, and their gaze just passed right through them.

So if they fleeced a few suckers to keep their baby brothers alive and well, so be it. Gabriel knew now that Dean had his back no matter what, and the feeling was entirely mutual. Sammy and Castiel were the best of friends, and if anything ever happened to Dean, Gabriel knew he would protect Sammy with the same driven fervor he did his own little brother. Gabe slept better at night, knowing Dean felt the same way about Castiel.

They soon headed up to a fancy house, and Dean pushed the buzzer. A well -dressed, over jeweled woman answered. The sound of bickering children filled the background, and the woman seemed on the verge of snapping.

"Oh! Dan and George! Hello boys! You've come for the donation to the Salvation Army, haven't you? Well, I have a ton of stuff this year. You two might need a cab to get home," she warned.

"Don't worry about it Mrs. Collins. It's on our way home." Dean assured her. He really wanted to snicker every time she called Gabe George, but no way was Miss Money Bags getting their real names.

"Still. Let me give you something for cab fare," she insisted.

"Now, ma'am, we can't do that. This is charity," Gabe told her.

"Well, then I guess I am just extra charitable, because I insist," Mrs. Collins stated.

Dean and Gabriel both put on an excellent impression of disapproval as Mrs. Collins stuffed a few twenties in Gabriel's hand. Then she pointed to four large, black, trash bags sitting off to the side of her foyer.

"Isn't awful? We just have too much stuff. Plus the boys threw a fit over some of the clothes I bought them this year. At least someone else can benefit from it," she said.

Before Dean or Gabe could respond, a teenage boy shoved his way past, wearing expensive clothes and carrying car keys.

"Mom, I gotta go. I'm meeting Cassandra," he told her.

"Oh good! Then you can drop Dean and Gabriel off on the other side of the bridge. You boys take this stuff to the Salvation Army in the Bronx, right?" she checked.

"Yea, ma'am, but he doesn't have to do that," Gabe answered.

"Yeah! He doesn't! I am not driving in to shit hole Brooklyn, Mom!" the teenager told her.

"You are if you want to get gas money. Just drop them on the other side of the bridge. You know how much cabs charge to leave Manhattan. For goodness sake, Roger," she scolded.

The teen scowled, and huffed, but he reluctantly waited while Gabriel and Dean loaded up his new model BMW with the bags. Gabe made a show of trying to return the cab fare, but Mrs. Collins insisted they keep it for the cab ride they would take after they crossed the bridge.

The trip across the bridge was…uncomfortable. Roger Collins personified everything Gabe had begun to hate in people. He was rich, he was over privileged, and he felt with complete sincerity that the world owed him a favor.

As soon as they crossed the bridge connecting Manhattan's world of wealth and comfort with Brooklyn's working class, Roger pulled over to a busy street. As Gabe and Dean finished unloading the bags, Roger looked Dean up and down.

"Say…charity boy, you want to make a little extra cash?" he asked.

Dean glanced at Gabriel and they both braced themselves.

"What do you want?" Dean looked skeptical.

"You have a _real_ pretty mouth. Use it well and I'll give you fifty bucks," Roger told him.

Gabriel and Dean glanced at each other again.

"Really? Hmmm…I think you'll give us a hundred bucks right now for nothing," Gabe said.

"Oh yeah, you little shit? Why would I do that?" Roger asked.

"Well gee, I don't know. How do you think your mom would feel about finding out you propositioned the charity workers?" Gabe asked with an unpleasant smile.

Roger gave a snort and shook his head.

"Please. I'll tell her you're lying. She'll believe me. She's stupid that way," he smirked.

Gabriel looked at Dean.

"You get that, too?" he asked.

Dean rifled through his pockets and pulled out a small, hand held cassette recorder.

"Yup. I got the whole thing. You were right about this thing. It is useful," Dean commented.

Roger flushed an ugly red and got out of his car.

"I will beat the living hell out of both of you," he threatened.

Any trace of humor left Gabriel and Dean's faces.

"Do you think so, Roger? Cause I don't. I think you'll hand over the money, then go on your way. We live here, douchebag. We know these streets, and we know how to take care of one rich pile of shit," Dean told him calmly.

There was a snicking sound then, and Roger looked over Dean's shoulder to see Gabriel with an open knife in his hand. Gabe always seemed so charming, so full of jokes…it was a shock to see the rage on his face, and the promise of violence.

"Let me do it anyway, Dean. I don't think I like the way he disrespected you," Gabriel growled.

Roger saw a promise in Gabriel's eyes at that moment. He had no idea what was between these two charity workers that frequented their home to appease his mother's guilt, but whatever it was, he was utterly convinced in that moment that Gabriel would kill to protect it.

"Fine! Here! Stay the hell away from me," Roger demanded in a querulous tone.

He reached in his wallet and threw some cash at the two of them, then hurried to his car and drove away. Dean picked up the money and shook his head as he turned.

"What a tool. Moron dropped a hundred and fifty, by the way," Dean paused when he saw the look on Gabriel's face. He'd seen it before, only once…

_Five and half months ago_

"Odd jobs are all well and good. But you never fish on this side of the bridge, at least not in summer. People will start to recognize you if you work our neighborhood and cause trouble. If you wanna work in the winter shoveling walks, that's fine. People don't look twice then, they just want the snow gone," Dean grinned as he, Sam, and Castiel walked up a bust street in Manhattan. They had ridden the bus here, and now Castiel was listening avidly to Sam's description of the cool places to see here.

"Okay. So how do you make money?" Gabriel asked.

"Mostly? I run simple scams. Finding lost dogs, course I let 'em go first, collecting for charity, Three Card Monty when we're really hard up. But that last one is risky. I gotta work with other street kids and they can be a problem if they don't know what they're doing. And cops watch for stuff like that. So do the gangs," Dean told him.

Gabriel looked at his little brother where he clutched Sam's hand and peered around the city with huge, innocent, blue eyes. He and Sam were already thick as thieves. Gabriel felt a little sick when he thought about what a gang might do if they caught the boys doing anything illegal in their territory.

"There's gangs in Manhattan?" Gabriel asked.

"There's gangs all over New York, man. But the gangs here tend to stay quiet. If we stay out of their way, they'll leave us alone," Dean assured him.

"Gabriel, I'm hungry," Castiel tugged on his big brother's hand and whispered.

Dean grinned down at Castiel and ruffled his hair.

"You ever had a New York hot pretzel, kid?" he asked.

Castiel shook his head no, eyes large.

"Oh, they are _awesome_," Sam said, excitement in his voice. "Are we getting some, Dean?"

"You know it Sammy. Let's give the boys here a little lesson in free food 101," Dean answered.

Sam grinned and nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, you two stay here. Watch Sammy and I," Dean instructed.

Gabriel took Castiel's hand and they sat on a bench as Dean and Sam approached a pretzel vendor. Dean bought one pretzel and handed it to Sam with a smile. The two of them started to walk away when Dean gave Sam a nearly invisible nod. Sammy stumbled then, and crossed very close to a man in an expensive suit. The man bumped into the small boy, and Sam fell down, dropping the pretzel. Sam immediately looked at Dean as the man cursed a little and tears filled Sam's fox tilted eyes.

People began to grumble as Sam cried, and Dean tried to comfort him.

"I'm sorry Sammy, that's all the money I had. Please don't cry," Dean pled.

"Oh my God. So you knock a child down, then watch him cry. You could at least replace his pretzel," one woman said, disgust in her voice.

"Hey! He ran into me!" the man protested.

"I…I'm s...sorry Dean…I'm…so….clumsy…" Sam sobbed.

"You sir, are an ass," another man stated, shaking his head at Sam and Dean's mark.

"God! What an asshole! Oh, don't cry, baby…" another woman said, rubbing Sam's back.

At this point the suited man began to look a little harried. He grabbed his wallet from his pocket, and pulled out some cash, shoving it as Sam.

"Here! Jesus. You'd think I shot him!"

The man hurried away then, and people dispersed, patting Sam on the back as they went. As soon as the crowd was gone, Dean and Sam walked back over to Gabriel and Castiel. Gabriel was laughing, and Castiel hurried to Sam's side.

"Are you okay, Sam? That man was mean!" he cried.

Sam grinned a little, and wiped away the crocodile tears.

"I'm fine, Cas. Don't worry," he promised.

"How much did he give you, Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Twenty-eight bucks!" Sam said proudly.

"Awesome. Let's go to the food truck on 8th that has dogs too. We can get those and some pretzels for lunch," Dean decided. "I'll show you guys a shortcut."

The four boys took off down a quiet alley. They got about halfway down it when Castiel gave a suddenly yelp and Sammy yelled as his friend's hand was grabbed out of his. All of them turned quickly then, and saw a dirty, ragged man standing there, holding a now crying Castiel by the arm.

"I saw what you little shits did. I think maybe I should go to the police," he said.

"You get your hands off my brother, or so help me God, I will kill you with my bare hands,"

Gabriel took a step toward the homeless man, but paused as Castiel cried out in pain. The man was digging his fingers into Castiel's arm and staring to twist, dragging the blue eyed boy off his feet.

"Hey! Cut it out, asshole!" Dean snapped. "What the hell do you want?"

"Well, I was going to ask for the money he gave you. But since you were rude, I think instead I'll just get to know this sweet little boy's mouth a little better."

The man began to tug on his zipper then, and Gabriel was preparing to launch when Sam suddenly screamed. The man froze and looked at him.

"Go ahead. Try it. Another scream like that and someone will come running. This is Manhattan. Kids don't scream around here unless something bad is happening. The cops will get you so fast you head will swim," Dean growled the words out, then gave Sam a nod.

Sam drew another deep breath to scream again, but the man dropped Castiel with a curse, and started to take off. Before he could get two steps though, Gabriel was on his back, pounding him with his fists and driving him to the ground.

"Nobody touches my brother, you filthy piece of shit! NOBODY! I will fucking kill you!" Gabriel was ranting as he beat the man, and for a second, Dean they all just watched in shock.

Dean quickly shook himself though, and he ran over and pulled Gabriel off the now whining, thrashing pedophile.

"Dude! Gabe! Stop, man! Someone is gonna see and call the cops! You gotta pull it together, Cas needs you!" Dean gave the smaller boy a gentle shake, and Gabriel stopped, but the look he gave the man lying in the street would stay with Dean the rest of his life.

_Present day_

Gabriel has that look again, and Dean pulled him back.

"Hey, Gabe. He's gone. And he's not worth it anyhow," Dean told him softly. A little part of Dean was melting though. That look, that fierce love and protection on Gabriel's face was for _him_, and it was a little overwhelming.

Gabriel drew a deep, calming breath then, and picked up some of the bags.

"I'm gonna give Roger a shoe in the ass if I meet up with him again," Gabriel stated.

Dean grinned a little, and grabbed some bags too.

"That could be awkward. I thought you liked that pair?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes and they headed toward a bus stop, dragging the bags with them.

"Mutton head," he commented.

"Awe, I knew you loved me," Dean said, batting his eyes.

Gabriel just muttered a little as Dean laughed, and they drug their haul to a bus. The driver made a token fuss, but Dean fussed more loudly, and he finally gave in, and allowed them on, bags and all.

When they got to their little hideaway, Dean pulled the bricks down, and yelled down the hallway for Castiel and Sam. Both boys came running, and goggled a little at the circle of bags surrounding their brothers.

"Wow, Mrs. Collins was feeling guilty today, huh?" Sam asked.

"She should. Her son is an asshole," Gabriel muttered.

"What happened?" Castiel asked, trepidation in his voice.

"Nothing. Let's get this stuff inside. Gabe got dinner this time, and we have more money to add to the bank," Dean reported.

It took some huffing and puffing, but the soon the bags were in their small living area. Dean opened the first one and felt a surge of instant relief.

"We got some coats here. Good thing too, cause it's gonna be snowing soon. Here, get 'em tried on and figure out which one goes to who," he instructed.

Soon Sam and Castiel were in warm coats, and hats, and Gabriel was pulling mittens out of the same bag. It took a little work, but soon their haul was divided and put away. The majority of it was clothing that fit all four of them, much of it with tags still attached. But there were blankets in one of the bags, and Dean hoped he managed to hide his relief at the sight of them. It got cold down here in the winter, and he wasn't sure they would have enough to keep everyone warm at night. It was warmer here than topside, but not by enough.

They sat down to eat then, and once the food Gabriel had brought was gone, Sam and Castiel both began to giggle and nudge each other.

"Okay, shrimps. What's going on?" Dean asked.

Sam pulled a clumsily wrapped package off his lap, and Castiel presented a carefully made card.

"Happy Birthday, Dean!" the two boys cried.

Gabriel was grinning as Dean shot him a suspicious look.

"You have something to do with this?" he asked.

"Moi? I am totally innocent," Gabriel told him.

Dean just snorted at that, and shook his head. Sam was placing the gift on his lap though, and he opened it carefully. When he saw what was inside, tears filled his eyes for a moment, and he had to clear his throat.

"Dad's leather jacket…how'd you get this, Sammy?" Dean asked softly.

"Gabriel helped me, Dean. He…he took me and Castiel to Mr. Singer's apartment. When I told him who I was, he gave me the coat and some of Dad's stuff from his locker at work," Sam told him. "I told him Gabriel and Castiel were our foster brothers and that we were real happy with them."

Dean lifted up the old coat, and held it out for a moment. Tears were escaping now, and Sam climbed into his big brother's lap, and hugged him tightly. Dean held him close, and closed his eyes. When he finally opened them, he looked up and met Gabriel's. The amber eyed boy looked sad, and a touch envious. Dean knew that Gabriel and Castiel's family was disappointing at best, horrific at worst. Gabriel still smiled, though, and Dean returned it.

"Thank you for this," Dean said.

"Hey, don't thank me. It was the rugrat's idea," Gabriel ruffled Sam's hair as he spoke.

But Dean knew that the ride to see Bobby Singer would have taken money out of Gabriel and Castiel's carefully saved cash, and that neither boy would allow repayment. Not to mention the time, and the trouble.

Sam was handing Dean his card now though, and Dean opened it up, and praised Castiel's artwork loudly while the blue eyed boy preened and beamed.

The smaller boys had been hording sweet snacks, and now they were brought out and passed out, complete with a candle on Dean's portion. The celebration went on for a few hours, with the boys telling each other stories of their families and past, until Dean glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"Okay you two. It's 9:30. You two gotta get some sleep."

There were complaints then about the general usefulness of bedtime, and statements asserting how awake and energetic Sam and Castiel were. Gabriel finally ended them by holding up a hand.

"How about this, you two. Get your butts ready for bed without any more complaining, and you can sleep together tonight," he offered.

There was instant scrambling then as two boy hurried to ready themselves for sleep. Dean threw his hands up and shook his head.

"You know they're gonna be up half the night giggling and whispering," he pointed out. "There's a reason they sleep in separate rooms."

"Yeah, but they won't bug us all night and this way we get to sleep in tomorrow," Gabriel replied in a sensible voice.

"You are one lazy motherfucker, Novak," Dean told him.

"You're just now figuring this out?" Gabriel asked sweetly.

Dean rolled his eyes, but felt a little thrill of something dance up his spine. Lately, he could feel Gabriel's eyes on him sometimes, and his heart would pound with excitement. And tonight they would have to share a bed, since Sam and Castiel were doubling up.

Ever since Gabriel's 16th birthday, just the month before Dean's, things had been changing between the two older boys, and Dean hoped with all his heart he wasn't misreading things.

_One month ago_

Dean opened his eyes to a soft voice whispering his name. Castiel stood in front of him, big blue eyes wet, and sad.

"Dean? Are you awake?"

Dean sighed and sat up, running a hand down his face.

"I am now, kid. What's wrong? Why are you in here?" Dean asked.

"I…I…I have to tell you something, but I'm afraid Gabriel will be mad!" Castiel started snuffling then, and Dean stifled a groan and patted the bed next to him.

"Okay Cas. Calm down. What could be so terrible that Gabe would be mad at his favorite little brother?"

"I want to tell you a secret, but Gabe told me not to," Castiel explained.

Dean frowned a little. Over the preceding months, he and Gabriel had talked _a lot_, and he thought they were past the secret stage.

"Why didn't he want you to tell me, buddy?" Dean asked, more awake now.

"Because he said there was nothing anyone could do, and it would just make you feel bad," Castiel rubbed his eyes, and sniffled some more as he answered.

Now Dean felt a pang of concern. If Gabriel was hurt, or sick, and keeping it a secret, that was important. But before he could ask, Castiel continued.

"But…but birthdays are _important_! Gabe always sings to me on mine, and gives me a cupcake and a present. I'm not a little kid, I know they aren't magic or anything, but someone should do somethin' for Gabe's birthday! And I don't have any money, or anything to get him a present!"

Castiel's eyes were filling again, and Dean felt a smile tug the corners of his lips. He wrapped a gentle arm around the smaller boy and spoke softly.

"You know Cas? You are absolutely right. Birthdays are important. This is Gabe's 16th birthday too, isn't it?" Dean checked.

Castiel nodded, and kept his eyes glued to Dean's face, hope starting to bloom on his face.

"Okay, buddy, here is what we'll do…"

Later that night, Dean had watched Gabe as he opened a small package, half exasperation, half delight etched on his face. When he saw what was inside, an odd look crossed his features, and it took Dean a moment to realize that he was forcing down tears.

Inside the small package was an inexpensive picture frame that held four small photos. Inside the spaces were pictures Dean had gotten taken at a streetside photo booth. There was one of Castiel, one of Sam, and one of Dean. The final photo was empty. Castiel was next to Gabriel, looking anxious.

"We need to go tomorrow and get a picture of all of us together for the last one. Do you like it Gabriel? It's all of us, cause we're a family now. Is it a good present?" he asked, bouncing a little.

Gabriel had to swallow hard before he could answer.

"This is a freaking amazing present, Cassy. The best one ever," Gabriel promised.

Castiel glowed at that, and for the rest of the night, the smaller boy had a smile on his face that couldn't be wiped away.

Once Castiel and Sam had gone to bed for the night, Gabriel had gone to use the bathroom and get cleaned up. Something in Dean told him to follow his friend, that maybe, just maybe Gabe needed him. He stood in front of the door to the restroom for a moment, chewing his bottom lip till he finally got up the nerve to tap and call out,

"Hey Gabe? Uh…you okay dude? Can I come in?"

There was a few seconds of agonizing silence, then a sigh.

"Yeah, come on in," Gabriel called back.

Dean stepped in, and paused. Gabriel stood with a towel around his waist, chest bare. Despite their living situation, they all managed to do pretty well on privacy. He'd never seen his friend in so little. It brought home some feelings Dean had been struggling with. He blushed now, and looked down.

"You sure you're okay?" Dean asked again.

Gabriel shrugged, and leaned forward, resting his hands on the sink in front of him. He looked into the white porcelain, as if it might provide him with some answers. He was quiet for a minute before he spoke.

"My mom was the only one who ever really made any kind of fuss about my birthday. Michael never remembered, even when he was home, and Raph…he meant to, but he was too busy trying to keep Luce off us. I'm…I'm not used to this," Gabriel admitted.

"Used to what? Your kid brother caring about you?" Dean asked.

Gabriel looked up now, and their eyes met in the mirror above the sink. Dean grinned a little when Gabriel rolled his.

"No, smart ass. I know Cassy could never have done all that by himself. I…I mean the rest of it. Sammy and…and you, caring about…" Gabriel broke off, seemingly unwilling to continue.

Dean stepped forward without thinking.

"Caring about you? Well, get used to it, cause it ain't changing. Cas was right. We're…we're family now. It's been better for Sammy and I both since you two came along, and…and we're glad you're here with us."

Dean laid a hand on Gabriel's bare back then, forgetting just how bare it was. Their eyes met once again and Dean heard himself whispering,

"_I'm_ glad you're here."

Their eyes locked in the mirror, and for long moments, neither of them spoke, or moved. But Gabriel's eyes…those amber eyes seemed to peel back the layers of Dean's soul and see right inside to all the places Dean was afraid to show. The spell was suddenly broken though, by a knock on the door, and Sam's voice.

"I haveta pee! Can I come in?"

Dean moved away quickly then, and by the time Sam was given entry, Gabriel was in a stall dressing, and Dean ruffled his little brother's hair as he passed, heading back to their common living area.

And ever since that day, Dean noticed that Gabriel often stayed closer to him, allowed their shoulders to brush as they walked, and a time or two, he was almost sure that the other boy was going to reach out and hold his hand.

But the two rarely had privacy. They were either on the streets, working for their literal survival, and that of their baby brothers, or they were in a small hideaway with two active boys who rarely left them alone.

But tonight, Dean realized, they would have total privacy. They always shut the doors to the bedroom so the small spaces stayed warmer, and the walls were thick concrete.

And they would be laying close, half dressed, in a dim room with the lights off…

Dean shook himself and swallowed hard. He knew if didn't stop, he was going to pop an embarrassing boner right then and there.

Soon after Dean's realization, Cas and Sam were both ready for bed. After one more hug and another drink of water, they were tucked in, and Dean and Gabe were alone. As soon as it was quiet, Gabriel looked at Dean, and for a moment, both boys just stared at each other.

"I can sleep on a couch," Gabriel offered in a carefully neutral voice.

Dean swallowed hard. He saw in Gabriel's eyes all the things that were unsaid, and he shook his head no.

"No, I...I want you to sleep with me," Dean told him.

Gabriel's eyes flared at that, and he stepped closer to Dean.

"Are you sure, Dean?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I am."

Gabriel reached a hand out then, and traced the contour of Dean's cheek. Dean was the one who stepped closer this time, and he lowered his head a little, in a clear invitation that Gabe was quick to accept.

And for the first time, they kissed.

It was soft at first, tentative. Neither boy had lived a life that left room for normal teenage exploration. This was a first for both of them in every way. But Gabriel soon grew bolder, and he sucked Dean's full lower lip into his mouth, brushing his tongue across it.

Dean gave a little moan at the feel of Gabriel's tongue, and shivered. Gabriel ran his hands down his back, soothing him gently. He pulled away from the kiss a little to whisper.

"Bed?"

Dean nodded, a little breathless. Gabriel led him into the room Dean usually shared with Sam. There was a large air mattress in one corner, and blankets piled on top. The two of them undressed slowly, till they were down to their boxers.

Gabe looked at Dean for a moment, and the taller boy was wide eyed, and he looked timid, and a little shy. Gabriel had figured something out about Dean. His whole life he had taken care of Sam. Even when his father was alive, Dean had been the smaller boy's primary caregiver. Dean protected, nurtured, and loved with all his heart.

But he also ached to be the one, just once, who had a safe place to hide. To be the one was loved, and protected.

And tonight, Gabriel intended to be the one who gave Dean what he wanted the most.

He stepped to the bed and pulled the blanket back. Then he motioned to Dean and smiled.

"Nothing has to happen Dean. We can just lay here and be close if that's what you want," Gabriel promised.

"I...uh...I just need to go slow. God, I sound like such a girl..." Dean moaned.

Gabriel grinned bigger, and held his hand out again. Dean joined him now, and Gabriel gave him one more soft kiss.

"This is as new to me as it is to you," Gabriel told him.

Dean looked a little relieved, and nodded. They crawled into the bed then, and Gabriel leaned over and blew out the hurricane lamp. The room was plunged into darkness, and Gabe felt Dean's shiver. He reached out until his hands found Dean's chest, and pulled him close.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...just not crazy about the dark. I know how stupid that is just-"

Gabriel hugged him a little closer to stop him.

"It's not stupid. I'm not crazy about how dark it gets down here either. Why do you think I bought Cas that mini flashlight?" Gabriel asked.

Dean gave a little huffed chuckle then, and sighed. He snuggled closer to Gabriel, and when he did, their lower bodies met, and both of them gave a sudden gasp.

"Oh wow...God, uh Dean..." Gabriel husked out.

He was hard now, so hard he ached, and he could feel Dean's erection brushing against his as the taller boy squirmed.

"Gabe...f...fuck..." Dean whimpered.

"Dean, what...what do you want?" Gabe whispered.

"More...I...I need..." Dean gasped out.

Gabe gave a groan, and slid his hands to the waistband of Dean's boxers. Dean wriggled out of them before Gabe even had a chance to ask, and pressed their bodies close again.

Gabriel was panting a little now, and he struggled to get his own boxers down while keeping he and Dean's bodies as close as possible. The moment there was nothing left between them, they came together, cock to cock, and both boys cried out. After that, there were no more words, just frantic rutting, both trying to get closer, chasing the overwhelming pleasure that was starting to trickle down their spines and igniting desperation in them both that neither knew could exist.

Dean found what his body was pleading for first. He seized up in Gabriel's arms, crying his name and rabbiting his hips, frantic to make the heavenly pleasure last.

When Gabriel heard Dean sobbing out his name, and felt wetness smearing his belly, he made a sound he didn't know he was capable of, almost a wail, and he began to spasm and pulse in long, wracking shudders.

Once it finally ended, they still lay close, and Gabriel ran a shaking hand through Dean's hair.

"Dean? Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah. Just...just keep holding me, okay?" Dean whispered back.

"I planned on it," Gabriel sighed.

They pressed closer, neither really caring about the wetness on their bellies for that moment, and kissed softly. Before sleep took them, Gabriel grabbed the first boxers he found tangled in the blankets, and wiped them both up. Then he pulled Dean close again. It was silent again for a few minutes, till Dean whispered once more.

"Gabe?"

"Hmm?"

"I...I...Iloveyou," Dean told him. He held his breath after his hurried confession, praying a little.

He felt Gabriel swallow against his cheek, where he was pressed close to the other boys neck.

"Yeah...I love you too, Dean," Gabriel replied softly.

Something lonely and aching in Dean healed at that moment, and he clung to Gabe a little tighter. Gabriel seemed to understand, and he held Dean closer.

Then they finally slept, peacefully, and without fear.

xoxoxoxo

The next morning, Gabriel woke up first. He wasn't sure what brought him to wakefulness. He certainly wanted to sleep. He and Dean had woken up in the night, and were quickly overcome with desire for each other again. They passed the night sharing kisses, and handjobs. Gabriel was exhausted, sated, and pretty freaking cheerful.

"Gabe," Castiel was staring at his brother, looking torn between scandalized and grossed out. Sam stood beside him, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh God. It's too early for this," Gabriel moaned. "What do you need, buddy?"

"Did you and Dean have s-e-x last night?" Castiel wanted to know. Sam crowed with laughter at the question and Gabe threw a pillow at his head.

"Cassy, Dean and I love each other, so it's okay if we uh…do stuff," Gabriel explained, sidestepping the question neatly.

Castiel and Sam both looked pleased and Castiel nodded a little.

"Oh. Well that's okay then. Are you gonna marry Dean now?" he asked.

Dean made his first contribution to the conversation then by having a coughing fit and falling out of bed naked. That effectively ended the conversation, since Sam and Castiel ran screaming out of the room at the sight of Dean's naked rear end. Gabriel shook his head and leaned over the side of the air mattress, shaking his head a little.

"You are really are a mutton head," he observed.

"Hey, I got you outta that question. Unless you want me to call Cas back in to make some arrangements and call a florist?" Dean said with a cheeky grin.

"Give me a few years," Gabriel replied drily.

Dean snickered at that and crawled back into the bed. Gabriel flopped back, and Dean rested his head on his chest with a sigh.

"So we're staying in bed all day, right?" Dean asked.

There was pounding on the door then, and Sam's voice came through.

"Hey, we're hungry! Get out here, and get us breakfast!"

Dean and Gabriel both sighed.

"Look at it this way. If we ever get high enough to consider having children, we can just use these memories as birth control," Gabriel said.

Dean snorted and muttered about pesky little brothers under his breath as they both got out of bed and pulled their clothes on. But for once, they both felt optimistic about their day.

xoxoxoxoxo

The days that followed were much the same, except for one thing. Dean and Gabriel shared a room, and there was an air of happy contentment about the two of them that even their little brothers noticed. They hadn't had sex yet, exactly. The truth was, neither was totally sure how exactly to go about it, and they didn't feel ready. But touching, kissing, and slow exploring went a long way in feeding the feelings growing between the two boys. They already loved one another; now they were learning just how deep and intimate that love could be.

And being a true team made the sometimes frightening task of raising two boys a little less daunting. Dean and Gabe encouraged each other, and talked about how to deal with growing children who wanted independence, while still needing protection.

The gang activity was getting worse near their hideaway, and while Dean didn't worry about their home being discovered, he did worry about getting shaken down by a gang member, or attacked. Not to mention Gabriel's smart mouth when he was angry, or offended for his family. He got them all out of bed a little earlier each day, trying to avoid thugs, and got them home sooner for the same reason.

But for all his efforts, in the end the end, they were trapped by their circumstances.

One afternoon, Sam came running to Dean and Gabe as they finished cleaning out a dumpster for the local baker. He paid well, and he never asked too many questions. Sam was covered in sweat, and tears ran down his face.

"DEAN! HELP! YOU GOTTA COME NOW! I'M SORRY, I'M SO SORRY, IT WAS ALL MY FAULT, I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HIM!"

Gabriel's heart clenched, and he looked around for Castiel as Dean tried to calm his little brother.

"Sammy! Stop panicking!" Dean gave Sam a rough shake, and the younger boy choked back a sob. "What the hell is going on? You and Cas are supposed to be doing school work!"

"We…we wanted to explore the tunnels, and you…you and Gabe always said it's too dangerous."

Gabe felt the blood drain from his face at that. The old tunnels were full of God only knew what- or who. They were no place for two young boys.

"We were trying to follow the old train tracks, and…and Cas tripped and fell on one of the rails…his…his arm looks funny Dean, and he's crying real hard. Please help!" Sam was starting to sob again, and Dean's eyes met Gabe's for a brief second before they both darted off toward home, Sam in tow.

Gabe felt sick with every step. What if Cas had broken his arm? What if it was serious? What if he had hit his head instead? Fear clutched at him, and he clutched Dean's hand as they ran. His brain was telling him all the things that could be wrong, and he almost had to stop to vomit at the thought of what might lay in front of them.

When they got to the bricked over entryway, the hole was open, since Sam had been in far too much of a hurry to cover it back up. They could hear Cas alternating between screaming, and sobbing, and Gabriel shouted his name as he shoved past Dean and Sam to get to his brother.

When he got into the main room they all shared, Castiel was stretched out on the couch, face swollen with tears, and his arm clutched to his chest. It was clearly broken, and at a hideous angle. Gabe heard Dean curse behind him, and they both hurried to Cas's side, and Sam stood staring, gulping on sobs.

"Oh God, oh Cassy what the hell did you do?" Gabe whispered.

"I…tripped….Gabe…help me! It…it hurts so bad!" Gabe noticed the smell of vomit then, and saw it on Castiel's clothes. The pain had literally made the smaller boy sick, and Gabe felt like joining him.

"Shit…we…we gotta take him to a hospital," Dean told Gabe.

"We can't! They might be looking for Cas and I! They'd give us back to Dad and Luce…or separate us…" Gabe felt panic clutching at him, and Castiel's sobs weren't helping his state of mind.

"But this is too bad! I can't fix this!" Dean was the resident wound tender, and he could make stiches if he had to, and he excelled at cleaning scrapes and cuts, and bandaging them up. But this was far beyond his skill.

Castiel suddenly began to vomit again, screaming as he did at the pain the forced movement caused. Something seemed to snap in Gabriel then, and he looked at Dean, determination on his face.

"Take care of him. I'll be back in less than an hour. I know what to do."

Gabriel ran out the door before Dean could say another word. He cursed a little at his boyfriend's quick exit, but started to bark orders at Sam.

"Get me some towels and wash cloths Sammy. We need to clean him up the best we can. It's gonna be okay, Sam. I need you to calm down," Dean ordered.

Sam nodded, and tried his best to do what his big brother asked as he hurried to get things around for him. Dean's mind raced as he cleaned Castiel gently, and tried to calm him. He had no idea what he would do if Gabriel didn't return soon.

A half an hour dragged by, and Dean was ready to give up and carry Castiel to a hospital when Gabriel burst back into the room with an older man with a ratty beard and kind eyes. He had a black doctor's bag in his hands, and Gabe carried a large canvas bag with him.

"Who the hell is this?" Dean demanded.

"Dr. Robert. He works for the Vatos Locos. He's their doctor. He's gonna help Castiel," Gabriel told him.

Dean pulled Gabriel aside as the older man hurried to Castiel.

"Gabe! Have you lost your mind? He'll lead them right to us!" he hissed.

"No he won't. I made a deal with them," Gabriel said, watching as the doctor injected something into Castiel.

"You what!? Have you lost your fucking mind? What kind of deal?" Dean asked.

"A bad one," the doctor answered before Gabe could. "Now could you come here and help keep this kid still?"

Gabe hurried to his baby brother's side, and soothed him till Castiel was sleeping. He woke up once, when the doctor suddenly yanked his arm back into place. Cas gave a scream, then fell silent again, eyes closing. Dr. Robert asked for a bucket of water, and soon Castiel was sporting a new white cast.

"Well, I wish I could get an X-Ray to see if this sucker is perfectly straight, but it looks pretty good to me. Helluva lot better than it was, anyhow. Now who's gonna walk me outta here?"

Dean motioned at Sam, and he led the doctor out of the room. As soon as they were alone, Dean was in Gabriel's grill, face red with anger.

"What kinda fucking deal, Gabe? What the hell have you brought down on us?" Dean demanded to know.

Gabriel dragged Dean out the hallway then, shutting the door carefully.

"Quiet down, Dean! You'll wake Cas up! And you guys have nothing to worry about. This only applies to me. I'm their mule for the next year," Gabe snapped.

Dean's face paled, and he stared at Gabe.

"Jesus…Gabe, do you know how many of their mules wind up in jail? Or dead? What the hell were you thinking? And what the fuck do you think it would do to Cas…to Sam…_to me_, if you get taken out because of them?"

"I was thinking that my kid brother had a broken arm that HAD to get fixed! I was thinking that if I took him to a hospital, we'd wind up with a fucking pedophile! I was thinking that I have to protect him, Goddamit!" Gabe stormed back into the room where Castiel slept then, and Dean clamped his mouth shut when Sam came hurrying back.

"Dean…is…is Gabe mad at me?" he whispered.

Dean wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close.

"'Course not, buddy. He's just worried about Cas. Let's go check on him, okay?"

Sam nodded his agreement and they went inside together At that moment, he was just too tired, too scared, and too stressed to demand answers.

The next few days were tense. Castiel was in pain, and clung to Gabriel. Sam blamed himself for the smaller boy's accident, and Gabe slept with his little brother at night, leaving Dean worried and lonely. He told himself it was only because Cas was hurting and needed his big brother, but what if…what is Gabe didn't love him anymore? What if he was angry about Cas's accident? What if he really did blame Sammy?

There were so many questions, and absolutely no answers.

And all too quickly, Gabe's first day of 'work' came. He slipped out one evening after Sam and Cas were asleep, and Dean watched him go, trying not to do something girly like cry, or beg him to stay. Their eyes met for a moment as Gabe snuck out the door, and Dean could see the fear in Gabe's. As soon as he was alone, Dean buried his face in his arms, and cried.

The next few weeks fell into the same, stress filled routine. Gabriel would sneak out at night, and deliver packages to various lowlifes while Dean tried to sleep alone. When he got back to their little hidden home, Gabriel would eat breakfast with his little brothers and Dean, and pretend everything was fine. Then he would drop into an exhausted sleep, and wish tomorrow wasn't coming. He'd get up in the afternoon, take care of Cas and Sam while they did their school work, and try to convince himself that nothing bad would happen that night.

It was a unique hell.

And it was killing Gabe and Dean.

Nothing was resolved between them, and Dean lived in fear of the day Gabe failed to make it back. He wanted so badly to get the other boy alone, to hold him, to beg him to be careful, to return to him…to love him again. But they were never alone anymore, and the distance grew.

And Gabe felt so guilty. He knew what was really on the streets now, in a way that not even Dean could comprehend. Gabe was seeing the worst of humanity, and the terrible danger that his little family was in because of his actions. He was the one that went to a gang seeking help, and if it all blew up in their faces, it would be his fault. He missed Dean so much. He wanted so badly to apologize for his stupidity, to have Dean in his arms again, but he didn't deserve it, and he knew it.

It all came crashing down on their heads on a Tuesday morning. Dean kept watching the door to their little home, pacing in the little living room, waiting for Gabe to sneak back in. But the minutes ticked past, then the hours, and there was no sign of the other boy. Castiel crept into his bedroom, and Dean could hear him crying quietly. Sam looked at Dean with fear in his eyes.

"Dean? Gabe is comin' back, right?"

Dean had to swallow down a lump in his throat then, and force a smile.

"Of course he is. Listen to me, you go take care of Cas, while I find Gabe. He's probably hitting on some chick and lost track of time," Dean told him.

"He wouldn't do that, Dean. He loves you," Sam protested.

Dean wanted so badly to believe that. He just gave Sam a weak smile, shooed him toward the bedroom door, and hurried to the streets.

Hours passed with no sign of Gabe. Dean wanted to grab the nearest gang member and shake them till their teeth rattled, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. He finally got his answer when he slumped onto a stool in front of a food cart. Two gang members sat near him and Dean almost cried when he heard them talking.

"Yeah, the little shit got nailed with a brick of coke. The good stuff too. But he lasted longer than the last few did. I think cops ignore that white bread look a little longer. We gotta find us another Angelo boy to make deliveries."

"Damn. Cops have been crawling everywhere lately. At least he just got the mule and not any of the bros."

The two young men kept talking like they hadn't just torn Dean's heart out. Dean knew that a brick of cocaine was going to get Gabriel into a world of trouble. He sat frozen to his chair, paralyzed by heartbreak and fear.

_What the hell do I do now? Oh God, Gabe…please come back. _

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"Gabriel James Novak, step to your cell and put your hands behind your back."

The booming voice rang out and Gabe's bunkmate at the New York Facility for Juvenile Offenders gave him a sardonic grin.

"Don't drop the soap dude," he said.

Gabe snorted, trying to hide his fear. Two weeks here and he was still not adjusting. He was scared. He was lonely. He missed Dean and Castiel and Sammy so much he ached. But he figured out fast that fear was deadly in this place. So he stuck on a tough face and faked it.

He turned his back and presented his wrists to the waiting guards. The man closed the handcuffs on him, and the door was opened. The guard didn't speak to him, just led him down a hallway to a row of rooms with a table and chairs in them. He was taken to one with 4 chairs and the sat roughly in one of them.

"Don't even think of moving. I will be right back," the guard stated.

"Hey! You gonna…uncuff me…" Gabe grumbled as the door shut on his question. "Jackass."

All he could do was wait, so he did, trying not to let his mind go to places it shouldn't. Namely his little family or his heartache. That way lay madness, so he counted the tiles on the floor until the door opened again, and Gabe's public defender came in, a nervous little man named Chuck Shurley. There was a slicker looking man behind him, and Gabe's heart dropped when he saw the third in their group.

Luce.

Gabe fought down an urge to vomit as they sat down, and Chuck spoke first.

"Gabe, do you know who this man is?" he asked.

Gabe considered lying. But he figured it was useless, and the last thing he needed was deeper trouble. So he nodded, keeping both eyes on his older brother.

"Good. Gabe, when you ran away from home, you took your little brother Castiel with you, didn't you?" Chuck asked.

Gabe froze. He saw the hungry look that flittered across Luce's face, and suddenly, Gabriel Novak was calm. He knew what he had to do.

"Nope."

Chuck blinked.

"Gabe, this the assistant DA, Fergus Crowley. If you can tell us where Castiel is, we can help you out. You and Castiel might even be able to go home with your brother sooner rather than later," Chuck explained.

"Yeah, wouldn't that be grand. Sorry, can't help you," Gabe replied.

Luce was glaring now, rage in his eyes, and Crowley spoke up.

"So you took him and lost him? An 11 year old child on the streets on New York?" he asked, skeptical.

"Nope. Cassy took off before I did. Once he was gone, I had no reason to stay," Gabe shrugged.

"And why do you think an 11 year old child would run away from home?" Crowley asked.

"Gee…I don't know. Why do you think, Luce?" Gabriel asked.

Luce started to lunge across the table, but stopped himself just in time. Chuck watched the larger man warily, and looked at Gabe.

"Gabriel, if your brother has hurt you, you need to tell us. We can help you and Castiel find a safe home, but we need to know where he is," he said gently.

"He's a filthy liar! I never laid a hand on either of them!" Luce bellowed.

Chuck and Crowley both looked at Luce now, and he quickly composed himself.

"Look, you two have no idea how terrified I have been for the last year. Both my little brothers are missing, my father is terminally ill, and anything could have happen to Castiel on the streets. He must be found and returned home," Luce told them.

"Hmmm yes, well, that's partly right, at least," Chuck muttered.

Crowley sighed and held a hand up.

"Let me put this to you another way, Gabriel. You WILL tell us where Castiel is. When you do, you will be returned home on probation, since we all know you were just a mule for that coke. But if you don't tell us where your brother is, you will be sent to the New York Juvenile Facility for Long Term Offenders. That place makes your current accommodations look like the Hilton. And you will be there until you are 21, without possibility of parole. I know this, because I know the judge who is handling your case, and he takes a dim view of drug mules. So if nearly six years of your life is worth this ridiculous charade, then by all means, keep it up," Crowley stated.

Gabriel wanted to cry. He glanced at Chuck, who gave him an encouraging nod. He looked at Luce, who was smirking. Then he sighed. Crowley looked pleased, until Gabe spoke.

"Have you tried Michael? Cassy always liked him better than Luce. He probably ran there."

Crowley looked stunned, and Chuck looked pained. Luce was getting to his feet, face suffusing with rage. Before he could speak, Crowley hurried him out of the room, and Chuck looked at Gabe.

"Gabriel, that facility is modeled after Attica. The idea is to make it so bad no kid ever wants to go back. I don't believe you belong there, but Crowley is right, Judge Hendricksen will send you there till you're 21. Why won't you let us help you?" he asked.

"Because what Luce would do to Castiel is worse than anything that facility can do to me. I gotta protect him," Gabriel said quietly.

"Gabriel, the system can protect you two…you just need to let us try," Chuck protested.

"We went to school every day with bruises. Castiel barely spoke. People knew what our Dad and Luce were like. But no system helped us then, and I sure as hell don't trust them now. Castiel is safe, and that's all I need," Gabe replied.

The guard was coming in now, and hauling Gabe to his feet. Chuck watched as he was walked out, and felt a jolt of sadness and frustration. He believed that Luce was an abuser. But he also knew Gabe was right. Until there was proof, the state would send those boys home with him. Gabriel was just trying to keep his brother safe.

And by God, he was going to pay for it.

_Year one_

"Dean! Get your tail in here, kid!"

Dean forced himself to open his eyes, and smiled a little at Sam who was slowly waking up next to him.

"Hey buddy, you guys hungry?" he asked.

Sam shrugged a little, and Dean reached over him to give Castiel a gentle shake.

"Bobby is calling us, guys. We gotta get up, okay?"

Both boys nodded, but neither one looked happy. Dean fought down his own grief, and helped his little brothers, _both_ his little brothers get ready for the day.

When Gabe had been arrested, Dean was more afraid than he had ever been. What if the gang came to him to finish paying off Gabe's debt? What would happen to Sammy and Castiel then? Feeling trapped, and helpless, and out of options, Dean went to his dad's old friend, Bobby.

He told Bobby everything, and the old man was a mix of horrified and proud. He was the one who taught John Winchester everything he knew about staying undetected, and these boys had learned well. The trouble they ran into was through no fault of their own, and he decided then and there that Winchester's boys and this scrawny, little, blue eyed fella would be kept safe.

Over the course of the next few weeks, he moved them to an old house in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and got them settled in. He had owned the place for years, and he kept meaning to retire there, and run his scrap yard. But the time never seemed just right, until three heartbroken boys showed up on his step.

Bobby learned all he could about Gabriel's fate, hoping to comfort his grieving friends. But what he learned wasn't good. Gabriel was being sent to a tough facility that only allowed family to visit. Family over 18 at that. So he was as far away from them as he could possibly get, and if Dean stopped to think about if for too long, he'd cry.

So he focused on making sure Sammy and Castiel were as okay as they could be, and tried to carry on.

xo

"That's right you little motherfucker. Mouth off to me again!"

A huge, shaven- headed moron currently had Gabe pinned on the ground, and his fingers around his neck. They were out in the Yard, and Gabe had made the mistake of sticking up for a kid even smaller than him. Now he was getting his face pounded, but after six months in this hellhole, it was par for the course.

"I would, Ganesh, but I ran out of one syllable words," Gabriel wheezed out.

"Gan-who? You better not be calling me names, you little shit!"

The beating continued until a guard pulled them apart. The "Ganesh" was sent for punishment, and Gabe was once again sent to the infirmary.

Just another day in paradise.

_Year two._

"Happy birthday to yooooouuuuuu!"

Castiel smiled a little as his piecemeal family sang to him, but his blue eyes were sad. Dean and Sam both noticed, of course they did. How could they not? They shared his sadness every day of their lives. Without Gabriel there, a part of them was missing.

Bobby had gotten a chocolate cake with blue icing, and even ice cream to go with it. There were some presents for Cas too, so all three boys tried their best to celebrate, even if their hearts weren't in it.

Nothing was the same without Gabe.

xo

"I found him, you know. So all your arrogance was for nothing, you little shit."

Luce sat in the visitors cubicle with the phone to his ear, and Gabriel sighed, and rolled his eyes. He knew his older brother all too well, and he knew when he was lying.

"Sure you did, Luce. That's why you're here bugging me. Give it up. I'm not telling you where he is. In five more years he'll be 18 and free, and I am not letting you near him before then," Gabriel replied.

Luce's rage seemed even closer to the surface these days, and he lunged at the glass partition that separated him from his younger brother. He eventually had to be pulled out of the room, and when he was gone, the guard prodded Gabriel to his feet.

"You really have a knack for pissing him off, kid," the older man said. He felt for this kid. He'd heard tidbits about his case, and it seemed to him that anyone who saw Luce Novak would understand why this kid was a mess.

"Air has a knack for pissing Luce off," Gabriel sighed.

The guard snorted a little and chuckled.

"Yeah, I can believe that. Back to your cell now, Gabe," he told him.

Gabriel nodded and allowed himself to be led away. His mind went to Castiel as he walked. He rarely allowed himself to think about his little brother or his makeshift family. It hurt too much.

_Happy thirteenth, little bro. I hope you're safe and happy. Or as happy as you can be. I'll come back someday, I promise. _

When Gabe was alone in his cell, he laid down on his belly, and if he cried a little, no one knew it but him.

_Year three_

""Yeah uh…sorry sweetheart, but I'm spoken for."

Dean watched as another curvy female walked away, looking disappointed. He only came to the pool hall sometimes to appease Bobby. The old man insisted that he and his little brothers were kids, and should have fun, dammit. To that end, he'd bought Sam and Castiel bikes, and was helping Dean rebuild an old Impala. He encouraged them to go out, and try to enjoy themselves a little. But it was hard. When Dean was here, he got approached by women and men alike, and it just made him miss Gabe all the more.

Dean wondered sometimes if he was wasting his time though. At the end of their time together, there was so much distance between he and Gabe, and nothing seemed certain. But he missed him. He loved Gabriel, and there was nothing else for it. So Dean kept himself apart, saved his body for the one his heart ached for, and prayed Gabe would come back to him someday, and they would finally be together like they had been before.

And if it turned out that Gabe didn't love him anymore…

Dean shook his head as he headed out. He couldn't think about that, or he'd fall apart.

xo

"That's right bitch, suck it."

Gabriel turned over on his thin, lumpy mattress and covered his head with a pillow. The guys in the cell next to his were going at it. Again.

When he and Dean had been together, they had been so young, and so innocent. Neither of them had really known much about sex, and they were happy just to be close, and touch. A few years in prison had thoroughly expanded Gabe's education. He heard and saw things that answered a lot of questions he had had.

Gabe himself had been 'invited' more than once to try a few things for himself, but after he beat the living hell out of a guy twice his size for trying to force him, people backed off a little. Clearly, Novak wasn't into it, and the little guy was fucking crazy. If he said he'd cut your balls off if you touched him, he meant it.

The truth was, Gabe was waiting. He had no idea if Dean still loved him, but God, he still loved Dean. He spent way too many hours trying not to let himself think about someone else touching Dean, holding him. He figured Dean deserved to move on, after all, in Gabe's mind, their relationship was screwed up by _his_ stupid deal with the gang. If Dean had found someone to make him happy, then Gabe told himself he would move aside, and let him be happy.

But until he knew for sure one way or the other, he would wait.

Gabe would wait for Dean forever if he had to.

_Year four._

"Damn you two. All A's!"

Bobby looked delighted, and he beamed with pride. Of all the things he done in his life, 'adopting' these three boys brought him the most satisfaction, and the deepest happiness. They were such _good_ kids, and Bobby was in awe of their resilience, and determination. He knew they missed Gabriel, and he wished to God he could do something for the other Novak boy. But if he did, all the careful paperwork he'd had forged to make the boys his would be discovered, and their family would be destroyed.

So he just readied a room for the day Gabriel came home, and did his best to help Dean raise the young men Sam and Cas were turning into.

They were both blushing at Bobby's praise now, and he clapped them both on the back.

"You boys did real good. You're gonna be able to do anything you want with your lives. When your brother gets out and gets home, he's gonna be mighty proud," Bobby said seriously.

Castiel's eyes filled a little at the mention of Gabriel. They always did. 15 years old or not, he still missed his brother more than words could express. Dean and Sam made life livable, but nothing could heal the hurt of losing the brother that saved him from Luce, the brother that loved him more than anyone else in the world.

Sammy saw those tears, and he hugged Cas tight. He understood. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Dean.

"Bobby is right, Castiel. He will be proud. Cause he's coming back to us. He is," Sam promised.

Castiel offered Sam a weak smile and nodded. He had to believe his brother his brother would rejoin them someday.

There just wasn't any other option.

xo

"Look, no one can force to join any of the programs, Gabriel. But these can help you when you're released."

Chuck looked hopeful, and annoyingly optimistic, as usual.

"Yeah, because a 21 year old with a GED and a felony prison record is gonna have the world at his feet, huh, Chuck?" Gabriel asked sarcastically.

Chuck sighed a little. He was still Gabe's public defender, and he still wished to God that he could have done something, anything to keep Gabriel out of the system. As his sentence ticked by, Gabriel got steadily more bitter, and more hardened. Chuck was seeing the light fade in this kid, and it broke his heart a little.

"Gabe, there's an apprenticeship with a tattoo artist. I took the liberty of showing him some of your sketches. He was really impressed. He said if you want the spot, it's yours," Chuck told him.

Gabriel blinked in surprise and looked torn between cynicism and hope.

"Why the hell would you do that?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.

"Because Gabe, you are a good kid. You have a lot to offer the world, and I want you to have an opportunity to do just that. You threw yourself under a speeding train for your brother, and we both know it. But I want you to ask yourself something. What will it do to Castiel if you get out of here, and have turned into an angry, hopeless person he doesn't know anymore? Is that really what you want?" Chuck watched Gabe's face as he spoke, and for a moment, the old Gabe, the brave, sad, determined boy he'd first met, flickered to life.

And that was the Gabe that finally nodded.

"…Okay. I'll do it."

_Year five._

"There you go, Jody. You gotta give that car a break," Dean grinned at the town's sheriff and tossed her a set of car keys. "You drive like a demon."

Jody laughed and caught the flying keys with a flourish.

"It's one of my many charming traits, kid. How's Bobby doing, by the way?" she asked.

Dean sighed a little, and his face fell.

"He's hanging on. The fucking Parkinson's makes it hard, but he really wants to hold on long enough to see Sammy and Castiel graduate," Dean replied.

Dean felt a pang as he thought about the gruff, gentle, man who had saved him and his little brothers. Bobby had been diagnosed a few years before with the debilitating illness, but medication seemed to control the worst of it. But as Bobby aged, the meds couldn't keep up, and he was nearing the end of his race. The small family all knew it, and they all pitched in to care for the old man they loved. Bobby had saved them once, and loved them ever since. Caring for him now was a privilege, and they made sure he knew it as such.

Jody sighed a little, and placed a hand on Dean's.

"Kid, you and those boys have made that old coot happier than I have even known him to be. He left Sioux Falls to escape the memories. But you guys helped him come home and create a whole new set of them. I know it's hard to see him like this, but you're doing a great job with him," Jody said quietly.

Dean just nodded, not trusting his voice. He was glad they were there to help Bobby now. But it hurt so much to watch him slowly slip away from them.

Life just didn't seem to pull any punches when it came to the Winchester and Novak boys.

xo

"I'm sorry, Gabe. Hendricksen refuses to even hear your case. He's got a reputation for being a real hard ass. It sucks kid, but you're making real progress with your internship. Once you get outta here, you're gonna do good things."

The guard who was speaking to Gabe squatted down in front of the young man who sat dejected on his bunk. Gabe knew it was a long shot, but he'd requested a meeting with his judge to present his progress, to show what he was doing, hoping that Hendricksen might allow bail. But the hard headed bastard wouldn't even give him the time of day. The guard felt for him. He'd been doing this job a long time, and he'd seen more than one kid who deserved to be here. But he'd also seen a few who didn't. And Gabe feel firmly into the 'didn't' category.

"Yeah…I…I figured it wouldn't work. I was just hoping. I mean, I've never gotten in any trouble before, and I've kept my nose clean in here. I…" Gabe paused and swallowed. "I just wanna go home."

The guard sighed and placed a sympathetic hand on Gabe's shoulder.

"That's gonna happen kid. I know this is rough, but you're almost done with your time here. Make the most of it, and when you leave, you are a free man, and you can show Hendricksen the kind of man you really are."

Gabe nodded, and tried to smile. Once he was alone, he opened the sketch he'd done of Dean, Castiel and Sam. He looked at it for a long time, and swallowed down the lump in his throat.

_Year six, five months in._

Dean stood and looked around the old room he's spent so much of his childhood in. The brick walls were still the same, and he almost expected Sam and Castiel to come running out of their bedroom to ask for doughnuts or a hot pretzel. He stepped into the room he and Gabe had shared and picked up a t-shirt from the floor. It was one of Gabe's old favorites. It had a giant, garish smiley face on it with a bullet hole through the forehead. He gave a choked half laugh, half sob at the sight and clutched it to him.

This was the room he'd spent so many hours in, pressed close to Gabe as they had explored each other with shy, tentative fingers. So many soft kisses, and whispered words of love had been shared in this place, and Dean could almost feel Gabriel's presence here. He forced his tears down, and headed back to the main room, taking the t-shirt with him.

He took an envelope out and taped it to the metal door that led into the room, praying a little as he did. He knew Gabe would come back here looking for them, which is why he returned to New York in the first place. He had to make sure Gabe knew how to find them. Dean refused to let himself believe that Gabe wouldn't want to.

Their wait was almost over. It had to be.

Gabe looked around the empty room, and swallowed down his pain.

He'd been released from the facility 3 hours ago, given 20 buck cash and some new clothes he'd immediately changed after a trip to a Goodwill for something more his taste. He knew he could stay in New York and take a job with the tattoo artist who'd trained him, but he had to find his brother first.

Gabe had headed to their little underground hideaway, and his heart sank as he opened the door. No one was there, and it was clear no one had been for a long time. The air was musty, and stale. There were tracks through the dust on the floor, and Gabriel cautiously followed them to his and Dean's room. He opened the door and saw it was empty as well.

He didn't think it was possible, but his heart sank even further.

Gabriel stood there for a moment, fighting down tears of disappointment, and turned to leave.

That's when he saw the envelope with his name on it taped on the outer door. He hurried to it, and took it down with trembling fingers. Then he sank to his knees, and started to read.

_Dear Gabe,_

_Hey, it's me, Dean. I wanted to make sure you knew we didn't ditch you. But after you were arrested, we had to make tracks. Your douche of a brother was in town, and Bobby thought we'd be safer if we left the state. Oh yeah, we lived with Bobby. He faked some papers that made him our guardians and took us to his place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Colder than hell here, by the way. Bring a coat._

_We wanted to write to you, so bad. But Bobby found out that all correspondence into the prison was read, and if you got a letter from us, they'd know what state we were in, and they'd have come for Cas. It about killed me not to contact you. Cas and Sam too. They miss you so bad._

_So do I._

_Please come home, Gabe. I put some cash in here so you can buy a bus ticket to Sioux Falls, and get a cab once you get here. Tell them to take you to Singer Salvage. Bobby died 2 months ago, and left the Salvage yard and repair shop to me. Please, come home, even if it's just to let us know you're okay. We miss you. We miss you so fucking much._

_Please come, Gabe. Please._

_Love, Dean_

Gabe swallowed down different tears now, and looked into the envelope. There was a stack of twenties and three hundred dollar bills. It was more than enough to get a bus ticket, and meals as he traveled.

Gabriel did something then he hadn't done for a long time. He threw his head back and laughed, despite the tears running down his face.

xo

"Hey kiddo. Grab the phone, will you? I'm ordering some pizza," Dean said.

Castiel scooped up the cordless and tossed it to Sam. Sam grinned at Dean.

"I guess vegetarian it is!" he snickered.

"Over my broken, bloody, body!" Dean retorted.

There was wrestling for the phone then, and Castiel sat and rolled his eyes as it went on. He loved his adopted brothers with all his heart. He still missed Gabriel though. Every time Dean and Sam acted silly, Castiel would think about how much fun Gabriel would have had joining them.

It had been a little over a month since Dean's trip to New York, and still, no Gabe. It made all them unhappy, but they tried to pretend they weren't worried, that they didn't lie in bed at night and wonder if something had happened to Gabe. Maybe he was killed in prison. It happened, and they knew it. Maybe he was so angry that they had never contacted him, he decided not to find them. Maybe, maybe maybe…

Maybe was killing them.

There was a knock at the door then, and Castiel walked by Dean and Sam as he got up to open it.

"You two have issues," he told them.

He opened the door then, and when he saw who stood on the other side, Castiel just stood stared.

He was taller, his hair was longer, and he had some tattoos and earrings, but there was no doubt about it.

Gabriel.

Castiel felt himself falling, until Gabe caught him, and held him close as he wept. He felt his older brother's tears in his hair as they sat in the open doorway, and he clung to Gabriel, unable to speak, or do anything but cry for the brother he'd been so afraid he'd lost.

A few minutes passed before Dean called out,

"Cas? Who's at the door, dude?"

That snapped Castiel back to reality. He drew a shuddering breath and slowly released Gabriel. The older Novak helped him to his feet as Cas called back to Dean.

"You better come here and see for yourself."

Dean pushed Sam off him with a grin then, and got up. As he headed to the door, he started to say something to Sam, but it died in his throat when he saw who was standing in front of him.

_God…he's gorgeous…_

"Dean?"

Gabriel looked uncertain, and something broke in Dean. He practically flew down the hall, and threw himself in Gabe's arms. For a moment there was only choked sobbing, and whispers as they clutched each other close. Then Gabe took Dean's face in his hands and brought their mouths together.

The kiss that followed started softly, gently. But if flared up quickly into something that was all about consuming each other, devouring, possessing, owning…connecting deeply enough that nothing would drive them apart again. A million questions were asked and answered in that kiss, and when it finally ended, Dean buried his face in Gabe's neck, ignoring the twinge their new difference in height now caused.

"You grew, mutton head," Gabriel finally whispered.

Dean gave a wet laugh at that and pulled back a little.

"Yeah. You didn't," he said.

Gabriel laughed too, and sighed as he ran his hands down Dean's sides, and reveled in the fact that he was finally able to _touch_ him once more.

There was a little throat clearing then, and Gabe and Dean looked over. Sam and Castiel were grinning at them, both tear streaked. Gabe opened one of his arms, and rolled his eyes.

"Oh fine. C'mere, you pests."

The small family wrapped themselves in one another then, as something that was broken in all of them began to heal. They didn't speak for long minutes, just held each other, feeling a gratitude too deep for words.

That night, Dean lay in his bed, waiting for Gabriel.

The evening had passed with the small family reuniting, finally catching up on all the lost years. There was laughter and tears as they reviewed what had passed. Gabe felt his heart break as he looked at pictures of his baby brother in his cap and gown. He had missed so much, and he could never get that time back. There were times he hated Luce so much it was like a burning spear in his gut. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it.

But as he'd felt his bitterness choking the life and hope out of him, a hand had touched his cheek, and he looked over to find a pair green eyes watching him, full of love and worry.

"Gabe?"

That was the moment Gabriel would remember once again, Luce couldn't take anything else from him that he wasn't willing to give.

When they had finally decided it was time to sleep, there was a moment of awkwardness. Castiel started to offer his room, but had seen the desperation in Dean's eyes. Gabe finally settled it by sliding his hand into Dean's, eyes hungry, but uncertain.

"Your place, Dean-o?" he asked.

Dean's smile lit up his face, and he nodded, a little shyly. It was the most adorable thing Gabe had ever seen.

Goodnights were exchanged then, and now Dean lay, nerves singing as he listened to Gabe wash up and get ready for bed.

When Gabe come in, he wore only a pair of boxers, and Dean was struck once again that the young boys they had been were gone now. Gabe was more sculpted now, and he had tattoos scattered over his chest and arms. Dean sat up and to get a closer look, and Gabe sat on the bed net to him. Dean traced the pictures carefully, and Gabe watched his face he did.

"These are really awesome, Gabe. You drew them, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I did an internship with a tattoo artist at the facility. I did a couple of these on my arms, and he did the rest as I trained," Gabe said, voice husky. Dean's touch was making him tremble, but he wouldn't press him for something he couldn't give yet.

"You're a tattoo artist now?" Dean looked pleased at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'd have to get my license in this state to work here, but it's not too hard to do," Gabe answered.

"Would you tattoo me?" Dean asked.

Gabriel paused for a minute.

"They hurt a little," he warned.

Dean grinned a little and showed him his inner wrist. Gabriel had to swallow down tears. His name was written there in script.

"Dean," he whispered. "When…?"

"As soon as I turned 18. I…I figured you'd come back, or you wouldn't, but either way…I…I knew I'd still love you, and I needed something…something to make you feel closer to me," Dean admitted softly.

Gabriel didn't bother swallowing this time. He let Dean see the tear that snaked down his cheek at that quiet admission, and leaned in to kiss him softly. When the kiss ended, Gabriel smiled a little, and turned a little so Dean could see his bicep. Dean choked on a little half sob when he saw his name there written in green ink, a stamp of Gabe's love for him for everyone to see.

"Gabe…I…want…" Dean paused and took a shuddering breath.

"What do you want, Dean?" Gabe whispered.

"I want you inside me. There…there hasn't been anyone else. I waited for you." Dean told him, his heart in his eyes.

Gabriel had to draw a deep breath to calm his raging blood. His cock gave a hard twitch at Dean's words, and for a moment, he was afraid he would come in his boxers.

"Dean…" Gabriel cupped Dean's cheek. "I waited for you too. I made a real name for myself. I said I'd cut the balls off of any idiot who touched me. I…only wanted you. I still do."

Dean leaned closer then, and they both moaned as their lips met. It was a kiss that was full of want, and promise. It left Dean trembling harder, and Gabriel's hands shook as he smoothed them down Dean's chest.

"Dean…I don't wanna hurt you…"

"It's okay. I…I've uh…practiced. I…I can get myself ready," Dean said with a blush.

"Oh fuck…" Gabe gasped and ground his palm against the root of his cock at Dean's words. Nothing he had ever heard or seen inflamed him like this. "Dean, you're gonna make me come before we even get started…"

Dean flushed with pleasure at the desire he saw written on Gabe's face, and heard the want lacing his words. He lay back on the bed, and slid his boxers off, biting his bottom lip a little as he went. Gabe watched him with fevered eyes, and groaned a little as Dean let his legs fall open, and reached under his pillow, pulling out a bottle of lube.

"Oh fuck…" Gabriel moaned. He seemed to be reduced to two desperate words, and Dean gave him a smile that was half shy, have seductive.

Gabe felt heat coiling in his belly as Dean wet two fingers, and reached under himself. He lifted one leg, and Gabe got the show of his life as he watched Dean sink two fingers into his trembling hole. Gabe reached down, and stroked the place where Dean's fingers and body joined, and Dean cried out, thrashing a little.

"Can…can I, Dean?" Gabe asked, picking up the bottle of lube.

Dean nodded, and Gabe wet a finger, and slid it slowly in next to Dean's. He moaned at the heat, and tightness, and was forced once again to grind a hand down on his dick when Dean cried out.

"Gabe! Oh God! Yes…that…that's so good…" he panted.

"Are you ready Dean? I…I don't how much longer I can hold off." Gabe admitted. Extended foreplay just wasn't in the cards this time. The need was too great.

Dean pulled his fingers out eagerly, and pulled Gabe onto him. He could feel his balls drawing up tight already, and he knew he wasn't going to last. Just touching Gabe again, holding him tight…it started a fire in Dean that was burning hot, and it was close to consuming him.

Gabe dropped the lube next to the bed as Dean drew him close, and tilted his gorgeous bottom up. Dean was slippery wet with lube, and Gabe wiped what left on his fingers onto his own cock, praying he wouldn't come at his own touch. He pressed the head of his cock against Dean's loosened hole, and paused.

"Dean…I…I'm not gonna fit. It's gonna hurt you…" he whispered.

"No…no, won't Gabe. Promise, just go slow…Please, I can't wait…" Dean pled.

Gabriel groaned; he couldn't deny Dean. He sank in slowly, and once he'd breeched that first tight ring of muscle, he sank in more easily. He heard someone crying out as he was enveloped by soft, velvet, heat, and it took him a minute to realize the cries were his own.

Dean felt a moment of burning pressure as Gabriel took his virginity. But the feel of his skin brushing Dean's, the look on his face as he filled Dean up, it made the discomfort incidental. It simply couldn't distract from the perfection of finally having Gabe inside him, of finally having every last part of the man he'd loved for so long.

Gabe thrust then, so far gone he knew he was lost forever. And he went willingly. Losing himself to Dean was finding home at last, and Gabe never wanted to leave.

"Dean…I'm gonna come! Can't….can't stop!" Gabe cried.

"Yes, yes, yes…!" Dean was panting, thrashing, and watching as Gabe made his body tip over the edge into an endless well of overwhelming pleasure. He didn't even have time to reach for his cock; there was no need anyhow. He was so worked up, so on edge, that all it took was the brush of Gabe's belly against him as he thrust to send Dean to heaven with a silent scream.

Gabe's own howls of completion weren't as silent as Dean's. He shook with the force of his release as he finally emptied his love into the one he'd willingly waited for. The pleasure was searing, almost too much to be borne, but more than that, it was the moment he claimed Dean for his own. Gabe understood that this moment was the beginning. This was day one.

This was forever.

_Five years later._

"Dean! I'm home!"

Gabe tossed his jacket onto the hallway hook, and dropped his keys into the bowl by the door. The old Salvage Yard didn't change much over the years, but Gabe liked that just fine. He was home in every sense of the word, and he thought it was pretty much perfect as it was.

"I inked a serious weirdo today. Chick kept eyeing me like the last cracker on the buffet. Remind me to avoid women named Kali, because this one…"

Gabe trailed off as Dean came out of the kitchen drying off his hands, and kissed Gabriel before he could get another word out. Gabe looked at his husband and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. You want to get laid, or something bad happened. Which one is it?" he asked.

Dean sighed and Gabe deflated a little.

"Ah. Bad then. Okay, green eyes. Spill," Gabe told him.

Dean just took his hand and led him to the kitchen. Gabe's mouth dropped open when he saw Michael sitting there, fiddling with a cup of coffee, and looking miserable and nervous.

"…Michael."

Michael jumped a little, and rose slowly to his feet when he saw Gabe.

"Gabriel…hey…wow, look at you. You're all grown up. You look so much like Mom," Michael stammered.

"Yeah, lucky me. What do you want, Michael?" Gabriel asked.

Michael swallowed, and seemed to shrink a little.

"I guess I deserve that. I never should have left you two with Dad and Luce. I…I just…I couldn't deal with the two of them, and I had no idea how to fight back. That was always Raph's thing. God, he was always so…so…headstrong," Michael sank back into the chair, and traced the pattern on the old table cloth as he spoke. "I'm sorry Gabe. I'm so sorry. I didn't go home again until Luce got arrested, and that's when I found out about you and Cas…" Michael broke off at the look on Gabe's face. "You didn't know about Luce, did you?"

"No. I've made a habit of avoiding that bastard," Gabe stated flatly.

"Yeah…I can't blame you. He uh…he went up the river for abducting a little boy and trying to sexually abuse him. Luckily the kid threw a massive fit, and a neighbor heard the screaming. Cops were called, and the kid was found. Luce got tossed in for kidnapping, attempted sexual abuse of a minor, and elder abuse," Michael told him.

"Elder abuse?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah. He was taking care of Dad. Dad uh…Dad was in bad shape. He had severe rheumatoid arthritis. He could hardly stand up on his own, let alone take care of himself. Luce wasn't exactly doing a bang up job of it either. He kept Dad in bed and he was covered in bed sores and half starved." Michael looked up at Gabriel now, and closed his eyes for a moment. "That's kind of why I'm here. Dad is dead, Gabe. He died 2 weeks ago. His lawyers found you and gave me your contact information."

"Are you expecting me to choke up because Dad is dead, Michael?" Gabe asked, voice carefully controlled.

Michael snorted a little.

"No. God knows I wasn't. But uh…he left you and Castiel and I his estate. It's about $75,000 each after taxes and all that shit. I figured Castiel would want to hear this stuff from you, so I came here. There's some papers you have to sign in the presence of a notary. I brought them…so…uh…" Michael handed Gabriel two large manila envelopes.

Gabriel took them, and stared at them for a moment.

"I know you probably don't want anything from Dad. I can't blame you for that. But goddamnit, Gabe…that old man owed you and Castiel _something_. It's just money, and it can't fix anything, but…but it…it's something I guess," Michael ventured.

Gabriel nodded a little, and tossed the envelopes on the kitchen table. Michael got to his feet again, and started to leave. He handed Gabe a card as he passed.

"This is my number. If…if you ever want to…to talk…" Michael blinked hard, trying to force tears back. "For what it's worth, I am so fucking proud of you. You and Raph…you were the best of all of us. You protected Castiel, and you did more for him than any of us. I wish I'd been half the man you are."

Michael left then, and when the door closed behind him, Dean turned Gabriel to face him and took his face in his hands.

"Gabe?"

Gabe stepped forward, and clutched the back of Dean's shirt for a few minutes, trembling a little. When he pulled back, Dean swiped his thumbs under his husband's eyes and kissed him softly. Then he waited.

"I have no idea how to feel," Gabe admitted quietly.

"Okay. Who says you have to? We'll figure it out," Dean replied gently.

"We have to tell Cas about this," Gabe continued.

Castiel and Sam ran a little bookshop in downtown Sioux Falls now, and they did a brisk business. Castiel had grown into a kind, quiet, thoughtful young man. Sam was the more gregarious of the two, but they were inseparable. Brothers.

"Yeah, we do. And if he needs it, we'll help him through it too. We're family, baby. It's what we do," Dean reminded him.

Something in Gabe relaxed at Dean's words, and he felt the past that was barreling down on him just a moment before start to fade.

"I love you, Dean," he whispered.

"I know," Dean whispered back, grinning.

"Muttonhead."

"_Your_ muttonhead," Dean said, stroking his cheek.

"And don't you forget it," Gabe told him. "Now come on. I need a blowjob then some dinner. I have had a helluva day."

Dean took Gabe's hand and they headed to their bedroom, teasing each other gently as they went, and laughing quietly. Their life wasn't perfect, they went off the rails from time to time. It was human nature, and they understood it better now. But they had each other to pull them back when they were about to crash.

And that was more than enough.


End file.
